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Report - St, Joseph's Orphanage - Preston

28DL Full Member

Met up with Marsden1002 and Tom Sherman in the early hours of the morning for this one, wanted an early start!

First off the place is huge and photos really struggle to capture the scale of this place. It's a maze. So big in fact we decided to split up to cover it, keeping in contact by radio.

Entry was not easy by any stretch of the imagination and I managed to get a nasty gash on the way in.

I'll apologize in advance - my pictures really don't do the place justice and I could really use a better camera with exposure and aperture settings that do what I tell them.

Some history for those interested.

St Josephs Orphanage was constructed in 1872 after an endowment from Mrs Maria Holland. It was designed by R W Hughe's and for the sole purpose of looking after Roman Catholic girls by nuns. A second building was later added in 1877 for the benefit of sick Roman Catholics. It was later known as Mount Street Hospital and used to care for soldiers in both world wars, the hospital received it's first operating theatre in 1910 and new hospital wings were added in 1933 and 1958. Part of the hospital has also been a nursing home, finally closing in 1986. The building is of grade 2 listing and was granted permission for redevelopment in 2004.